


Shake The Ground

by AgentLaufeyson



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dystopia, Dystopia is fun, Environmentalism, Gen, How Do I Tag, Largely Based on Him At Least, Main Character is basically Mark Ruffalo, Oklahoma, Original Character(s), Post-Apocalypse, Set in North America, Sweetwater, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 11:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4827497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentLaufeyson/pseuds/AgentLaufeyson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I would really appreciate if you could leave me a comment with your thoughts on this story. I worked rather hard on it, and I did a fair amount of research before hand just to make it seem more "realistic". </p><p>If you feel up to it, leave me a full critique. I will love you forever if you do!</p><p>Thank you.</p><p>Enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Shake The Ground

**Author's Note:**

> I would really appreciate if you could leave me a comment with your thoughts on this story. I worked rather hard on it, and I did a fair amount of research before hand just to make it seem more "realistic". 
> 
> If you feel up to it, leave me a full critique. I will love you forever if you do!
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Enjoy.

“Mark, Hurry up or we’ll be late!” I heard my sister’s voice call from downstairs.

“I’m right here, Marianne,” I replied as I descended down the steps, “I had to fix my tie.”

“Well we really should be going. You know how the curator gets when artists are late to their own gallery opening.” Marianne grabbed her clutch purse off of the sofa as she shrugged on a jacket over her violet sequined dress. We were attending an art gallery opening tonight which had her most recent series of paintings in. Her paintings had become famous locally in the past few years and it would have been incredibly rude for her not to make an appearance. She had dressed and did her hair up rather quickly, then when I came home after instructing my classes at the university, she rushed me to do the same. I wore my dark grey suit along with the green tie that Marianne said is _‘more flattering’_. 

“Before we go,” I began again, “I have something for you.” I turned into the hall and entered into the spare bedroom to retrieve the gift.

“Oh, Mark, you didn't have to-“

“I wanted too.” I interrupted her as I exited the room, hiding the gift behind my back. “Tonight is one of the largest gallery exhibits you've ever had and I think that deserves to be celebrated. Now hold out your hand.”

She followed my direction, and I then moved my hand from behind my back and gently placed the gift in her palm. The dawning expression and wide-eyed look on her face was evident of her surprise. 

“Mark… Is that?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, “It’s a cherry blossom flower.”

“How… how did you even find get one of these?” She asked, still in shock as she more closely examined the flowers light pink petals, red spots speckling the otherwise perfectly hued surface. “I thought that the cherry blossom trees had all died out.”

I gave a curt laugh, “Trust me, it wasn't easy. It took some time, but Steven knows a guy who works at the greenhouse in the capital. They had some surviving seeds that they planted in hopes to bring the species back. They raised a tree and Steven managed to get a flower from it.” I took the flower from her hands and placed it in her hair so it sat snugly next to her ear. “There. Everyone is going to love it.”

She smiled at me, almost a tear in her eye, “Thank you.”

“No problem.” I returned the grin, “Now come on, we have a gallery opening to get to.” 

* * *

The gallery was populated with art critics, enthusiasts, buyers, and of course, other artists. People gravitated to and from the works that hung on the walls as the sound of their slim wine glasses clinking together could be heard across the room. From the moment of our entrance, the gallery goers greeted us and complimented Marianne’s flower. When it came time for her to uncover her newest collection, the crowd was eager and filled to the brim with anticipation.

Marianne pulled the white curtain that was covering the back wall of the main room. The cover was gone, the art revealed. 

“Ladies, Gentlemen, fellow artists,” She began speaking, “It is a pleasure for me to unveil my newest installation to you. The concept started with a simple word. Trees. From the Giant Sequoia, to the Weeping Willow; the Red Oak to the Evergreen Pine; the Sycamore to the Great Elm, and of course,” She gestured to the larger painting in the center, “the Japanese Cherry Blossom. Trees were earth’s natural beauties. They covered our planet and showed us their everlasting beauty season after season. Sadly though, we no longer have the privilege of seeing them. We all know about the global earthquake of 2045 that ravaged our world, causing the great climate shift that wiped out all of our tree species, eliminated our animals and cut the human population nearly in half. Very few of us remember what a real, living, breathing tree looks like. Our children of today have only seen pictures. It is sad to think that we may never see leaves billowing through the air on a breezy fall morning. But I think we may be able relive that experience. Before I came today my dear brother, Mark, graced me with a most precious gift.” 

She reached up and removed the flower from her hair, holding it gently between her fingers and showing it to the room. “The flower of a cherry blossom tree. Until today I thought that the species was extinct, gone from our world, never to return. But this flower is proof that the capital has done what we thought was impossible. They have brought the species back. And it gives me great hope that maybe, just maybe we will see trees populating the earth once again.”

Upon returning home from a jovial time at the gallery, talking with other artists and even making a few deals with some buyers, Marianne and I set to both having a cup of tea before going to bed.

“That speech you made was great.” I remarked. “I couldn't even tell that you made it up on the fly.”

“Well,” She replied, “when speaking about what one is passionate about, the words just seem to flow easily. And you know, I really do hope that the capital is onto something. This flower is one piece of breakthrough.”

“It certainly does show progress.”

Marianne quickly finished her tea and bid me a good night as she went off to her room.

I was about to do the same until something that she had said earlier at the gallery dawned on me. In her speech she mentioned the earthquake of 2045, an event which is common knowledge to everyone. A massive earthquake shook the world and in effect, shifted the continents around – our home state of Oklahoma breaking apart from the rest of the southern US – changing the natural climates rather drastically. Everyone knows about it, but… how much do we really know? 

Little is known about what actually caused the quake to happen. Most believe that it was simply a freak accident. It was never stated why it began or even where the epicenter was located. One would think that information such as this would be stated openly to the public.

Perhaps it’s silly, having a suspicious feeling about an event that happened years ago, but the thought couldn't be shaken. With these unanswered questions, I consulted the internet to see if I could find some answers. Search after search led to nothing of help. No matter what article I read, they all avoided stating why the quake happened or where it started. It was certainly strange that nearly all the reports were exactly the same. The other peculiar thing I noticed was that all of the reports were edited directly by the National Security Organization. It made me begin to think that… perhaps there was something that they were hiding from us, something that they don’t want us to know. 

* * *

Walking into the gym where Steven trained at and worked as a personal fitness adviser, I was greeted with the sight of him instructing a younger man in the basics of boxing.

 “Keep your hands up and always protect the face. You have to be observant and figure out your opponents weak spots. Once you have that, use it to your advantage.”

I walked towards the ring there were in, “Hey, Steven, you got a minute?”

He looked over at me, then back at the young man telling him to go ahead and take a break.

Steven climbed out of the boxing ring, grabbing a small hand towel he had laying on the floor and using it to dry the sweat off his forehead. “Didn't expect to see you here, Mark. Brains usually don’t wonder into Brawn territory.”

I laughed, “Ha, right. But, I've come to ask you something. I need your help.”

“Anything, man.” He replied. He grabbed his shirt from the floor, threading his arms through and pulling it over his head. “Whatcha need?”

“This is going to sound crazy…”

“Mark, come on. We've been friend since High School. You may be a bit weird at time, but you’re not crazy.”

“After I say this you might start rethinking that statement.”

“Well what is it then?”

I waited a moment before I replied, “I want to break into the Central Storage Archive.”

Steven didn't say anything for quite a few moments. When he finally spoke, his voice was filled with a tone of disbelief. “You… You wanna what?”

“You heard me.”

“Yes, I heard you, I just…” He sighed and ran a hand over his face, “why in the world would you want to do that?”

“I have reason to believe that the NSO is hiding information about the Great Earthquake.” I informed him, “And I’m going to find it.”

“Mark, you realize that you’re talking about breaking into one of the most heavily guarded places on the planet?”

“Yes, and that’s why I need your help.”

It took quite of bit of explanation, but after enough convincing I had Steven on board. And it was a relief to me. As he said before, the CSA is one of the most guarded, supervised places on the planet. It’s located in the heart of the NSO building in Oklahoma City and getting in is not an easy task. If I went alone I may get inside, but the guards would easily outnumber and quickly overpower me. With all the training and fitness, Steven has the brute power that would rival the guards. You can only get so far with only smarts or only strength. It is necessary for both to work together to properly accomplish difficult tasks.

And with that, Steven and I began forming a plan. 

* * *

“You’re what?!” Marianne shouted.

“Listen, I know how it sounds, but I have to do this, Mari.”

“Mark, you’re going to be walking right into your own grave!” She yelled, he voice cracking. “How can you be so sure that they have anything? How do you know that you’re not going to get hurt!?”

“I don’t know, I just… I can feel it.” I told her, “It’s like you said before, _‘when talking about something you’re passionate about, the words just seem to flow easily’_ well I can feel this, Marianne. I know that there is something that they are hiding, and I need to find out what it is. I’m focused on this and the actions are flowing, one after the other. I have this… this instinct that is telling me that if I don’t get to the bottom of this, then nobody will. And I just can’t let it go.”

“Please… Don’t do this…” She pleaded, noticeable tears beginning to form in her eyes.

“Listen… If anything happens to me – “

“No, stop,” Marianne interrupted, now backing away from me and pacing the room. She held her hands to her head, ruffling her already messy brown hair, “don’t talk like that!”

I approached her again and grabbed her by both arms in attempt to calm her down, “Marianne, just listen…” I waited a few moments. She nodded slightly. “If I don’t come back… Mom and Dad left us their stock portfolio.”

Her expression changed to one of confusion and questioning, “They had-“

“Yes, they asked me not to tell you about it.” I continued. I remembered the conversation clearly. “But that portfolio is worth millions. All you’d have to do is go down to the stock exchange and cash it in. I want you to be okay, so if something does happen to me… take the money and take care of yourself.”

“Mark…” She cried, her voice so small and quiet that it was almost inaudible.

I let go of her arms and picked up the bag I had. I gave Marianne a hug and then kissed her forehead. “Bye.” After another moment, I turned and silently went out the door. Just before closing it, I heard her say _‘goodbye’_ and then break into a sob.

It took all my willpower not to turn around and forget this whole thing. 

“Well, we’re here.” Steven sighed. After I left home that night, I picked up Steven and we set out driving the 143 miles from Sweetwater to Oklahoma City. It was a long trek and by the time we got there, it was near daybreak. We arrived in the center of the city, a few blocks away from the NSO headquarters. The building was taller than I had imagined. It had to have been at least 40 stories, possibly even more. “Now do we even know what we’re looking for?”

“Come on, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't come prepared.” I replied, tapping on the touch interface of the tablet that was propped up on the dash. “I was able to acquire the blueprints of the place, according to this the Archive is in the heart of the building, Floor 23.”

“Whoa, dude. How’d you even find this?” Steven asked, taking the tablet and zooming in and out of different places on the building map.

“It was really easy actually. They’re surprisingly open about their floor plans and building layout.” I informed him. I took the tablet back, switching to a different screen. “They even have diagrams of the ventilation systems, electrical wiring, locations of the security cameras, it even lists which doors require a pin code to unlock.”

“It’s kind of suspicious that they just willingly give this information out to the public.” He pointed out. “Are you sure this isn't just some sort of trap to lure in potential criminals?”

I agree that it did make sense. The NSO was notorious for being one of the most ‘guarded’ government organizations, so it was not improbable that they would take such a measure to stop anyone to make and attempt at breaking in. However, even despite this assumption, I could feel that it was simply a bluff. They talk so highly about how many guards they have and how many security measure are in place that it’s almost seems like overkill to have the amount that they mention. “My thought is that they want us to believe that. Most people would look at this and say just what you did. That it’s too obvious to be real, so it must be a trap. But if that’s true, why would they put the archive on the 23nd floor? It’s such an odd placement. If they wanted it to be a trap, they would put it right below the head chairman’s office.”

“I hope to god that you’re right, man.” Steven replied with a short laugh. “Otherwise we’re gonna be in for one hell of a fight.”

“Oh I’m sure of it.” 

“Guess it’s a good thing I brought my gun.” He said, taking his gun out of his bag and loading in a new cartridge of nine bullets.

“The Steven LaForge I know doesn't need the help of a shotgun.” 

“Just a precaution. Or you know… in case I need to save your ass.”

We both laughed, which seemed silly considering the situation we were about to throw ourselves into.

Getting into the building was the easy part as the main entrance floor is open to the public. Getting access to the other floors was going to require more work. Once inside, Steven and I scoped out the room. The plan was a relatively simple one, and rather cliché when I actually think about it. We entered into a hallway which we’d seen many uniformed workers coming out of. A quick glace around showed no nearby security cameras. We hid and, when the time was right, we jumped out and ambushed two of the workers passing by. It was a highly cliché maneuver, but it worked. And it was quite effective in disguising us. After changing into the uniforms we continued down the hallway. Nobody so much as bat an eye at us, and we were easily able to find an elevator.

Steven took liberty to press the button for the 23rd floor. After which, the touch screen monitor above prompted the use of a pin code.

“Damn,” Steven sighed, “Should have expected that…”

“Move over.” I told him, pushing on his shoulder a bit. I tapped on the screen. After a moment of thought I type in a four number sequence into the keypad. A second later, the elevator started moving.

I turned around to see Steven with an expression of disbelief, “Okay… How?”

“It was quite easy actually.” I replied. “When I looked up the buildings blueprints. I also found the profile of the head of the NSO. Jack Quinto. Listed the basic information of course; 40 years old, 5 foot 7 inches tall, green eyes, ginger hair, been in charge of this place for 10 years.”

“And you got the pin code just from that?” Steven asked.

“No, but his age did lead me to the piece of information I needed.” I explained, “What’s the one thing that you never use as your password?”

“Your birthday,” He replied, “It’s stupid ‘cause then everyone would guess it. Nobody does that anymore.”

“Exactly. Nobody ever does it. Which is exactly why he used it as the pin code. It’s so painfully obvious that nobody will ever try and guess it.”

Before Steven could reply to my statement, the elevator door opened and we exited. Down the short hallway stood the archive. The room we entered was comparable to just a large library. I had expected some a bit more… sophisticated and fancy. In the middle, a lone computer stood. I walked up to it, tapping on the screen which prompted it to load the welcome screen; the NSO logo flashing 

“Mark, I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. This was way too easy.” Steven warned, looking around and constantly staying alert. “And you and I both know that when things are too easy, that’s about when shit starts flying. I don’t need to be brainy to know that.”

“Just, calm down.” I replied to him. “I’m looking for the information. I just need to find it and we’ll be out of here.” 

I typed the query into the search field. ‘Great Earthquake 2045’ flashed on the screen as the system compiled all of the related results. The first file that appeared was a video entitled “The whole truth about 2045.” I went to click play, but for some reason I hesitated… I didn't know why, but I was almost… afraid to see what the video held. Even though this is exactly what I came for, what I hoped to find. I shook my head and refocused. With another click, I pressed play, watching the screen with intent eyes, as Steven watched over my shoulder.

A man in a suit and tie talked into the frame. He cleared his throat and then began speaking. “What you are about to see is a record of what led up to one of the greatest natural disasters in our worlds history. For years we have told the public that the Great Earthquake was simply a freak accident, just Mother Nature exacting her duty, an act of God outside of our control. That however is far from the truth. The actual cause of the earthquake… started thirty three years earlier in 2012.”

The screen went black for a moment and then switched to a video clip which zoomed in slowly on a Fracking site that was drilling into the ground. The voice narrating the video was the same as the man who spoke before.

_ “In the year of 2012 there was an explosion at a fracking site in Sweetwater, Oklahoma. The blast shook the ground, locals testifying that they could feel it from over a hundred miles away. It occurred when a drilling rig struck a shallow gas pocket while trying to drill into the shale. The event made the news but was talked about very little and it was soon forgotten by the general public. Little did we all know at the time; the explosion had compromised the integrity of the earth, causing multiple hairline fractures. Over the course of time, the fractures grew, unnoticed and unknown, until thirty three years later in 2045 when they met the fault line. It caused a massive, destructive earthquake to jostle the majority of the southern states. This one earthquake triggered a chain reaction in the adjacent faults, causing all of the tectonic plates to react at the same time. The resulting effect caused massive damage around the world, the force of the tremors pushing the continents apart, and ripping the US into separate pieces.” _

The video showed footage from different areas of the world, each continent being shaken violently and torn apart; buildings collapsing as easily as a house of cards, mountain ranges crumbling to pieces, and the ground splitting in two just like paper being ripped in half.

_ “The change in location caused massive climate changes. Deserts became flooded with rain, Polar Regions melted, Rivers and lakes evaporated. The temperature shift was so sudden and so dramatic that the only living organisms that survived it were those that could quickly adapt. More than 99 percent of earth’s plants, animals and insects went extinct. Earth was left as we see it today. Barren, desolate, wastelands; Dry, arid deserts; and useless, lifeless oceans. And it was all caused by our crippling dependence of oil. Fracking is what caused this world… but sadly nothing can fix it.” _

And with that, the screen went black. Neither I nor Steven were able to say anything about what he had just seen. It was difficult to take in. “My god…”

“… Alright, okay, we've seen what we needed to see.” Steven suddenly changed the subject. “Now I think we really need to get outta here. This is usually the part where bad things start to happen to the good people.”

I only partially heard what Steven said. I didn't move to leave. “…No.”

“What do you mean, ‘no.’!?” 

“We need to show this to everyone… They deserve to know too.”

“And how do you expect us to do that?”

“… The broadcast tower. That’s it. It’s on the top floor, inside Quinto’s office. We have to upload the video into the mainframe.” I turned back to the computer, pulling out the flash drive from my pocket and quickly transferring the file to it. “The satellite will broadcast it simultaneously to the whole world.”

Steven opened his mouth in attempt to protest, but he spoke nothing. You could visually see him trying to force himself to say no, but to no avail. “Grrr, man! Sometimes I really question why I’m your friend!”

Upon re-entering the hall we were greeted with the presence of three guards. It wasn’t unexpected. The guards raised their weapons and we quickly rushed down an adjacent hallway. As we ran the guards followed. I looked back to see Steven raising his gun and taking shots at all three of them. Perhaps they were not kill shots, but they were enough to make the guards cease their pursuit

The events began to blur together; the time between them unknown to me. Adrenaline and the fight or flight response was more prevalent. I remember running down another hallway, hearing Steven shoot four more times. The next thing I know, we were running towards another elevator. The guards were charging at us as we desperately tried to will the elevator door to close faster. Just in time, it shut and began the climb to the top floor. This time gave a moment to catch our breath, however it didn't last long before we reached the destination.

We readied ourselves and walked out of the elevator.

“Took you long enough.” A voice said. I looked toward the source of it and found the one whom I can only assume was Jack Quinto. “I’ve been waiting for you to finally arrive. I've watched you take down quite a few of my guards and I must say I am… less than impressed. I expected far more from you Mr. Steven LaForge. For a big tough guy you sure can be a cowardly one.” He shook his head and then cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to say, Gentlemen, but your little quest ends here.”

A moment later, the door opened and two more guards walked in. They came and stood behind us, grabbing and restraining out arms.

“I do hate long goodbyes, so we’ll make this swift.”

“Oh hell nah, I ain’t going down without a fight.” I heard Steven say. He broke the guards grip and then threw and elbow shot to his face.

The guard were taken by surprise, but that last only for a moment as he began to fight back. I took the opportunity to break free of the other guards grasp. Steven was trying to wrestle his gun out of the guard’s hands. After many bouts of strength he was able to overcome the guard and gained procession of the gun again. He quickly turned it round and shot twice more. The guards fell to the floor. At sight of this Jack moved forward and decided that he had to take matter into his own hands. 

Steven jumped and stopped Jack from going at me. “Mark, Go! The video! Do it now!”

As he said it, I was already moving towards the computer in the front of the room. I quickly plugged in the flash drive, clicking impatiently. I began transferring the file into the mainframe, which would send the video to the satellite and then to everyone home across the globe. Just as I was about to press the button to complete the transfer I heard a pained cry come from in front of me.

I immediately looked up, “Steven!”

Sadly he could not answer me as Quinto had, in some point between all this, pulled out a knife he had hidden and stabbed him. I could only stare, frozen at what I saw. The next moment, Jack let out a low laugh. He picked up Stevens gun from the floor and faced me.

“Look at you.” Quinto sneered, huffing in annoyance, “Pathetic. A common man trying to pass himself off as the hero, attempting to save the day by exposing our secret. But, it won’t do any good. Even if the world found out about the events that occurred, there is nothing they can do. It is in the past. It is long behind us and cannot be changed. What is the population going to do with this information anyway? Revolt? There is no logic in it. It would be pointless for them to even try.” 

His face took a different expression, though it was hard to distinguish what that expression was. “This is where it ends, Mr. Ramsey.” He continued, his tone sounding both serious and calm at the same time. “It’s your choice. You can go ahead and press that button, fulfill what you've come here to do. Go ahead and let the whole world know what really happened that day in 2045, show them what really caused our world to turn into what it is today, show them who’s at fault. But if you do, it will be your last action for I will not hesitate to gun you down.” He raised the gun now, pointing it at me as he tightened a finger around the trigger.

“And oh… how would your precious little sister feel about that? What’s her name again? Marianne, isn't it?” He paused for a minute to let out a low chuckle “Of course it is. I can see it now, she’s in a long black coat at night, waiting for you in a downpour outside. She’s saying ‘Brother, come home’ in a melody of tears as the rhythm of the rain keeps time.” He stopped again. The time span that the room was silent was immeasurable. “Choose to walk away and I will spare you your life; spare your sister the grief of losing her last family member…”

Many thoughts were running through my head, abuzz like an angry swarm of bees. The mental picture that Jack’s words painted in my head was a frightening one. My eyes glanced rapidly around the room, taking in all of the sight that was in front of me; wounded guards, Steven laying there lifelessly, and, in the middle of it all, Jack Quinto standing there with Stevens’s gun pointed at me. As I stood there I found myself thinking, “There’s something symbolic in this. The very weapon that helped get you here is now being used against you.” Another moment passed.

I pressed the button.

Jack pulled the trigger.

**Author's Note:**

> This is another assignment I had for my College English course. We had to write a Dystopian fiction based on the subject we wrote about in our essay earlier in the semester (Mine in which was about the environment and Fracking.)
> 
> I took the idea of Fracking causing earthquakes and took it to the farthest extreme. 
> 
>  The character **Mark Ramsey** is literally based off **Mark Ruffalo** who is a big advocate against fracking. (I even quoted him in my essay)  
>   His sister wasn't based on anyone, but the name **Marianne** was taken from the movie "Strange Magic". And Marianne and Mark both start with M-A-R so it seemed logical for a brother sister pair  
>   **Steven Laforge** isn't based on anyone either, however, in my mind, I imagine his as looking like Will Smith. I choose the first name Steven randomly and then added Laforge as his last name (I was watching star trek at the time.  
>  **Jack Quinto** is loosely based off of Spock/Zackary Quinto  
>   I based this whole story around the fact that in 2012 there was an incident in Sweetwater Oklahoma where a fracking site drilled into a gas pocket and cause an explosion. That fact is completely true. Also, reports say that there has been increased earthquake activity around the area since 2014.  
>   **Fun Fact:** I didn't know where to set the story at first, so I asked my friend [Agent-Watson](http://agent-watson.deviantart.com) to name me a random city. She gave me Oklahoma city, Oklahoma. Which incidentally worked out absolutely perfectly.  
>    **YES I QUOTED FALL OUT BOY.**
> 
>   **IF ANYONE NOTICES MY HIDDEN IMPLICATION ABOUT THE ENDING THEN YOU GET A HUGE COOKIE AND A VIRTUAL HUG AND I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER.**   


End file.
